have been possible without the encouragement and constant support of my loving wife our four sons mark bob john and david and the entire family most of which is with us here in the gallery today. their strength and sacrifices have been indispensable to my public service. i am also very much indebted to a great number of talented and loyal friends who have served with me in the senate including by my count, more than 300 senators hundreds of personal and committee staff members and more than a thousand students in turns. in my experience it is difficult to conceive of a better platform from which to devote oneself to public service and the search for solutions to national and international problems. at its best the senate is one of the founders most important creations. a great deal has been written recently about political discord in the united states. some commentators judging that partisanship is at an all-time high. having seen quite a few times in the congress when political struggles were portrayed in this way i hesitate to describe our current state as of the most partisan ever but i